What I'm Reading This Week #41

Howdy do?  We're rolling into mid-ish October so you'd better get to enjoying all of the Fall things because November first they're going to pull every trace of pumpkin or cinnamon and full blast it into Christmas and peppermint everything.  We haven't gotten to enjoy the season nearly as much as I like to which sucks.  I need some fall color to soothe my soul!  Instead our soul has become much like the Grinch I suppose with an appalling dump heap overflowing with the most disgraceful assortment of deplorable rubbish imaginable mangled up in tangled up knots!  Oh yes.  We had the sump pump replaced Monday where the adhesive in the pipes was SO disgusting it drove us out of the house and I thank God we had good weather to leave the back door open most of the night.  The next day was an appointment with a financial advisor who gave us a consultation and we're basically doing better on our own than we would with him based on returns.  (Not like we're rolling in it by any means but I'd say 6% more than their highest return isn't too shabby for doing our own research.)  Essentially he said all he could really manage for us were two tiny accounts so it wouldn't be worth going with with for that but it was nice to see our calculators were all on par with his.  Wednesday was getting the gas valve replaced on the 18 month old water heater to get rid of that God awful knocking.  Welp, after he left, it made the noise again.  🖕  He went around with them about getting it replaced and the person who squeezed us in yesterday was giving the Mr a hard time about it and he had to put his foot down saying replace the damn thing, Rheem already okayed it.  It was essentially all afternoon of dealing with that crap only to find that didn't fix it.  While the tank was being changed out, the guy said cold water was coming back into the tank which means a cartridge is out in a single lever faucet.  The Mr changed out the shower one and it didn't fix it.  Of course our kitchen faucet is discontinued so a new one will be here Sunday but in the meantime he shut off the water to the kitchen with the theory if the water can't flow it will be like mimicking a kitchen cartridge replacement.  We should know this morning by the camera we have down there if he's on to something or not.  I got an art piece I'm using the for the bathroom project and of course because it came from India to the US then decided it wasn't ready to be delivered and went to China then Japan and then BACK to the US, it got damaged.  Sorry but I've now had more misses than hits with Canvas Champ so I can no longer recommend them and they don't want to refund my money and want me to wait two weeks for a friggin' replacement.  No.  So off to dispute the charge I went.  Thursday was a chiro appointment.  Today was supposed to be round two with the new therapist but she's in Florida and ya'll know about that so we cancelled.  I likely can't do next week because of 20,000 appointments and the bath reno could potentially start the following week so who knows if I'll ever see her again now.  

See?  

Appalling dump heap.

Now let's soothe your soul with:

Hitting A Plateau? Inadequate Protein Intake Could Be The Cause  (Always something to keep track of.  I know I'm lower on it than I should be.)

How Long Does It Actually Take To Speed Up Your Metabolism? An MD Explains  (Not sure why it's not mentioned here but also strength training from everything I've read.)

Drinking This Daily May Lower Type 2 Diabetes Risk By 47%  (I'm on it!)

5 Drinks That Make You Poop Immediately, From a Gastroenterologist  (I drink two of the five that do nothing for me so we'll see if anything else helps.  And yes, the one you suspect is on here.)

Five Ways to Improve Flexibility  (I desperately need to work on this.)

If You're Waking Up With Dry Skin Or Congestion, This Could Be Why  (Yes I do and no I'm not stopping that or I'll be a raving monster every morning...more so than usual.)

The 30 Most Brilliant Cleaning Hacks of All Time  (Some really great tips I know I'll be using!  I can vouch for #8)

Stop making these 3 dangerous laundry mistakes  (It blows my friggin mind when I hear people don't wash their new clothes before wearing them.  So. Gross.  I second the solution for dryer sheets but don't forget a few drops of your favorite essential oil on them a few minutes before you use them so you don't get oil on your clothes)

Here’s Why There’s Soap Scum Buildup in Your Shower—and How to Prevent It  (I'll need to follow these when the new doors go in because our old ones laugh at my efforts)

5 Signs You're Dealing With Unresolved Grief  (Maybe because I identify with all listed but I don't feel based on conversations with others especially a little over a year out that this indicates being 'stuck.'  I think it's just the process especially if the death was unexpected.  You unfortunately have a lot more to process than if you were dealing with someone who had a lingering illness.)

This weekend is the Mr's birthday!  (Let's make a party in the comments with well wishes... don't be shy!)  So I'm not sure what tomfoolery he'll want to get into, if any, but hopefully I'll have something fun to report Monday.  You know us Gen Xer's, we like the rip it up, yo.

Sorry if this was riddled with typos, I forgot to run it by my proofreader before bed.

What tomfoolery awaits you this weekend?

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Hump Day Poll: Do I O-ffend? Hormone Edition

This is friggin embarrassing but when has that ever stopped me?  So like, your aging pits... do they get like some stank ass power at 45 to laugh at all deodorant?  Because y'all... I can get about 3 hours out of a natural deodorant and I would say 5 hours out of a regular antiperspirant that before would last me all day!  Now this also coincides with the beginning of the pandemic when 1) my stress level went through and have stayed through the roof and 2) when all companies decided they were going to screw us all and give less for more.

Is this an age thing?  I don't want to be the Baroness of B.O., Lady Chicken Broth Pits and the like.  

If you've encountered this as you've aged/gone through perimenopause, please share even if by message if you don't want your stinky secret out there and what, if anything has worked for you.  Dove was always my go-to for serious protection and now it laughs at me and no natural deodorant has ever worked.  Too many people in reviews have stated that Lume "smells like ass" so I don't want to replace one nasty smell with another.  Even Dove Clinical isn't working which always worked so I'm up for suggestions.

Signed, 

Pepe Le Pits

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Unmotivated Weekend Recap

Top o the Monday to you, my lovelies!  I hope you had a fantabulous weekend and are recharged for the week ahead.  

Me?

Friday was a batch of chaos.  Well, let me back up a little.  Last week, the Mr tried to get the plumbers who put in our hot water tank and re-piped the house last year to call us back about the mysterious noise that's been plaguing us going on two months.  When it was clear after emails and calls no one was going to do that, he had someone else come out.  Well that was a waste of time because they couldn't find their ass with both hands, said they've never heard such a thing and since it's still under warranty, the original plumbers would have to do it.  No, you just don't want to do your job.  I was so mad I grabbed my phone and left a pissy message on the original plumbers voicemail that my husband has emailed and called, no one has called back, we had another plumber here that said since it's under warranty they had to be the ones to take care of it and someone needs to call one of us back and get this taken care of.  Well, I must've sounded pretty pissed because within two minutes they called back and said they'd be out Friday.  We both laughed at how fast a man calls back when he's getting politely reamed by a woman.  I told you that to tell you this.

Friday was my appointment with the new therapist.  I chose 1pm because I like having it over with and had been forced into night appointments for the last month because the other one is a professor and had class during the day.  Of course that was the window for the plumber so I'd have to go upstairs in bed and do it with two pillows stacked under my laptop.  I had made clear in my initial note that I was changing therapists because I'd asked for tools for ADHD, was essentially given excuses and I don't have time for that.  So she knew my expectations going in.  So I get on with her and talk about going from one end of the spectrum to the other!  I'm used to what equates to having a laid back chat with your friend and this woman was like a Greyhound being released to chase a motorized rabbit around a track.  

source

Very fast paced and her mouth going a million miles a minute and in my head all I can think is "close the lid."  I tell you I have a hard time focusing so her yammering and me not getting a word in edgewise felt like I'd made the wrong choice.  She goes on and on for 10 minutes and just when I'm able to talk, the sound of three fire trucks at full blast whizz by and this happens about four more times.  When that finally settles down, I hear what I thought was the multi tool so I figured the neighbor picked the worst time to work on a project or the plumber was here.  Now any of you DIYers know the multi tool used anywhere in your house sounds like your house is going to vibrate apart.  So imagine trying to take notes and pay attention to someone with that going on.  I started laughing and said what was going on and it's just the universal zing of me trying to get help for focus and the world is throwing the loudest possible distractions in my face.  I don't think she's someone I could necessarily hash out familial stuff with unless she brings it way down because I need to be able to, you know, talk.  While she was a bit much for me to listen to and talked so fast that I was exhausted by the end, she did give me some really great tips, visuals, and homework to do.  If anyone is interested, let me know and I'll do a post on it.  

It turns out that noise I thought was the multi tool, was not.  The Mr checked outside and one of the neighbors said someone said it was a gas leak.  (It wasn't)  So he came in, turned off the gas and when he did, the hot water tank was what started making that God awful noise!!  After the shock wore off, he recorded it for the plumber.  That whole process took a while and because it's under warranty and Rheem would rather replace crap part by part instead of replacing the whole tank, we have to start with the gas valve, then the burner and by that time its a new tank and THEN they'll replace the tank if it still makes the noise. 🙄

As the day went on and I thought of all I have to try to implement now that I have homework, my brain waved the white flag.  I felt overwhelmed and we went for a walk.  I had plans for Saturday between maybe doing something and then working on our home punch list.  Well, neither happened.  I woke up for what is apparently my new tradition of an early morning wee at 6am and couldn't get back to sleep.  I tried the grounding/visuals she gave me and I kid you not, I couldn't focus on them for a solid five seconds!!  I told myself I wasn't going to get on the phone but by 6:20am I was so frustrated, I grabbed it to start my scroll.  4 1/2 hours of sleep it is.  (Which she was horrified by when I told her my normal amount of sleep.)  The Mr bought pumpkin donuts and coffee up and we had that in bed and chatted until noon which honestly was better than going anywhere.  I looked up stuff to do around town and there was just nothing appealing.  We're not going to go to an orchard and pay $30 for what I could pay $6 for at the store.  People are everywhere and swimming through the masses didn't sound like fun.  I got financials together for a consultation we're having with my friend's recommended firm.  That led to not fun conversations, my lack of sleep caught up with me and I napped while the Mr watched football.  Later we put together a baby charcuterie plate to take upstairs and watch the Hawaii game which was really good.  So on the home front stuff, we did not do anything Saturday.

I knew we'd have to buckle down for Sunday.  I threw together a quick but filling breakfast and we watched the only segment on Sunday Morning that wasn't a downer and boy are we glad we did.  Watch this video and go to the 4 minute mark if you're short on time (though I'd suggest watching all of it).  Watch her talk about her Oscar speech and see the weight of 34 years of guilt and shame instantly lift from her shoulders when the interviewer gave her an unexpected gift.  The Mr and I were both in tears and that man doesn't mist up much.  It was one of the single most transformative examples of how we completely beat the shit out of ourselves for decades only to find we didn't need to.  Seriously, I'd rather you watch that to start your day and come back to this tonight.  

I got to painting the trim for the newel post and the Mr tried wet sanding the absolute atrocity that was two coats of joint compound on the bathroom walls.  It looked so bad that it completely demotivated me to touch it in there for almost a week.  I don't know how it turned out the way it did, it didn't look the way it dried when I put it on so I am definitely not someone who can do anything drywall wise.  (Or not without a serious bootcamp class that would have to be led by a woman because a man telling me how to do it with that pissy attitude they get when they're like "ya just have to do it like this" because they've been doing it every day for 10-30 years ain't gonna fly with me.)  The wet sanding didn't warrant much improvement, which sucked so it falls on me to make it right with the last coat of Plus 3 for the top coat before having to sand and prime it which is laughable given the initial two coats.  I'm not sure how I'm the one that apparently is better at this between the two of us.  

I finally pumped myself up to scrape the vanity and we couldn't find the scraper for 20 minutes which was deflating my motivation by the minute.  He found it hiding at I got started while he ran out and grabbed some stuff.  I quickly realized that scraping it was going to be a task designated to those in purgatory and I'm not down with that.  There was no getting around making a sandy mess.  I grabbed this little sander I got for just such the occasion and got to it.  It had to take off 2 coats of wax, 2 or 3 coats of chalk paint and the original factory finish.  Well, for my purposes, it needed to get off the wax for me to be able to be primed.  It was a good hour of sanding to not even be fully done with both doors much less any other part of it.  I had to take a break because my lungs were filled with dust and my eyes were getting dry.  I got in about 5 minutes of attempted relief after looking at new vanities (which I'd have to paint anyway) before the Mr came in and announced he was going to work on the closet door.  Welp, guess no relief for me so back to it I went.  I twisted my back in fantastic fashion and no chiro appointment in sight.  It really doesn't even look like I did much other than scuff it up but the vacuum dust container says otherwise. 

Before we knew it, it was after 5pm and not much else got done.  I don't know how I'm going to properly prime and paint this vanity on the floor given all of the trouble I have being in certain positions.  I don't trust it's not going to look like a hot mess but I guess I don't have choice in the matter.  Ram board is going to need to be put under it for me to paint because Lord knows all that drop cloth did was make things worse when I sanded. I'm feeling defeated and even if I did order a new vanity, they all look basic or over the top modern which isn't really what I want.  Today we get our sump pump replaced, tomorrow we have a virtual meeting with a financial advisor so I suppose we should think about questions.  I'm dreading next week because there are a bazillion appointments between us and that takes us into what is supposed to the week the shower crap potentially starts  and I don't feel ready at all.

What did you get into this weekend?

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What I'm Reading This Week #40

What's up, you sexy beast!  I hope you had an awesome week and are ready for a weekend filled with Fall shenanigans.  I know I am ready for some shenanigans!   I have my first sesh with the new therapist this afternoon.  I know it won't be actual therapy though because all of that getting to know you and paperwork crap has to be filled out.  I reeeally wish since I'm going through Headway that they all had access to the notes already taken but I know that wouldn't be good in case of a breach.  All of my sordid secrets would be out.  😆  If only.  People would probably yawn.  So wish me luck that this one is more of a therapist than friend type.  

I have had a real block in getting the bathroom patched.  I know after the patching comes the final coat and there are still bubbled areas here and there.  But I got the big ones, these are going to be primed, covered in panels and caulked so it should be fine.  I want to say 'future me's problem' because I just want everything done to passable levels for crap that isn't going to be seen.  I need to actually make a to do list so we're not freaking when it's time to power through and then have shoddy looking work as a result.  Ugh, the amount of stuff is overwhelming just thinking of it off the top of my head!  I need to scrape/sand the trim around the attic access to be painted, the piece of drywall we cut and painted when we had the ceilings smoothed two years ago has always looked atrocious so I'll need to sand that and prime it before putting this paintable wall paper on it to cover the ragged edges.  I also want to spray adhesive a piece of Rockwool on the back since I don't think we did that but that'll be after the shower dudes put in the new fan.  We're upcycling the medicine cabinet since we didn't want to do a crapload of drywall repair there so I'm going to try to make it into an art project which had better work.  I'll be wallpapering the back of that too.  I have to scrape, prime and paint the vanity.  Buy stuff like new knobs, towel ring, TP holder, etc.  So yeah...a LOT to still do.

Now let's do:

8 Signs You’re in Perimenopause  (Um, this could explain my 10 months of shoulder issues.  But I'm on the pill so what gives?!  That's another thing I'll need to consider but I'm not coming off of it during a big ass reno!)

12 Stretches to Get Rid of Shoulder Tension  (I gots ALLLL da shoulder tension!  As stated above)

People Who Grew up With a Narcissistic Parent Usually Develop These 15 Traits as Adults  (I should send my dad my therapy bills.)

Aspartame or AminoSweet, now a ’possible carcinogen’  (Just so y'all know, they changed the name but the alleged damage is still the same.)

The Lost Girls: ‘Chaotic and Curious, Women With ADHD All Have Missed Red Flags That Haunt Us’  (OMG, I could've written this)

Eight Ways to Free Up Kitchen Counter Space  (I need all the help I can get!  I will say little stuff like this helps!)

20 Easy Ways to Update Your Bathroom—No Remodeling Required  (Trust me, when you're adding flooring and not calling it a reno, you're in denial)

5 ‘Little Things’ That Keep Romance Alive—By A Psychologist  (They're not wrong)

Discover What Gives This New-Build Tennessee Log Cabin a Historic Look  (OMG, move us in!)

Kmart’s last full-scale store in New York to close its doors  (This one is bittersweet.  That's where the Mr and I met.  We went to this location two years ago on vacation and it was just sad in there.  I'm surprised it lasted this long)

Miss a post this week?  Catch up below:

A Little Rocky, A Little Triumphant Weekend Recap

Midweek Update:  That's That

OH!  I'mma share this because something super funny/mortifying happened at the Mr's work on a seminar video call that he was attending and it's too juicy not to share.  You know how you're supposed to mute when you join?  (I heard the collective "oh shit's" from y'all!)  Well, one lady didn't and was having AI read a spicy erotic book out loud that dropped the F bomb and there was spreading of stuff involved before the 50ish people in the room and almost double that online including HR heard!  HR wanted them to find out who that was (and her name was visible and shown as 'talking' so it wasn't hard to figure out.)  Can you friggin' imagine?!  I told the Mr I would change my name and put in for a transfer after I recovered from my stroke.

Now back to stuff much less saucy than that.

I know some form of house stuff is on tap this weekend obviously but I'm hoping the Mr wakes up with no issues since that's been a thing the past few weekends and we can go enjoy the weather.  (It's probably AHTLS.  Anticipatory honey do list syndrome.)  I would say there's probably scary movies on the list but almost every night we've looked at our server and been like "meh.  Didn't we just watch these??"  The Mr has already gotten his annual Trick or Treat viewing in.  We watched Scream 2 but realized we watched it last year but were too far in to stop.  Maybe Happy Death Day since we didn't watch it last year.  But we save the good ones like Scream, Fright Night and Waxwork for closer to Halloween.  I'm burnt out on Friday the 13th's and Halloween.

Just a reminder that I am adding items to my Etsy shop daily right now.  If you haven't been by, there may be something perfect for you or for a gift for someone else.  Because I can't afford ads right now sales are pretty much nil, I only have this little space to bring attention to it.  I'm sure the lack of sales is why I'm not getting shown in searches which sucks.  I'm not trying to twist your arm if there's nothing that appeals to you and feel like a skeezer even bringing it up but, there it is.  Even if you don't see something now, click the little heart to follow the shop or favorite items to be notified of new items or sales on favorites.  The closer it gets to the holidays, the higher the production time, I'm told.  So, uh...yeah.  I'm such a great marketer, no?  Okay byeeee!

Any spooky time shenanigans on your radar this weekend?  Pumpkin/apple pickin?  Having some p*rn read to you by your computer?

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Midweek update: That's That

Welp, I'm switching therapists.  Since I wasn't getting what I needed by way of tools by dropping hints, I thought if I put it in plain terms. "I've taken a bazillion online tests through medical sites suggesting I have strong ADD tendencies.   Here are the the symptoms going back to childhood, what tips can you give me to help me navigate this and get some focus which is disrupting my quality of life." 

Instead all I got was a professor lecture about types of learning, that I'd need to get official testing to knock out certain medical conditions (thyroid, auditory issues, depression and get on the right meds which I clearly stated in the beginning wasn't why I was in therapy) and then we could strategize.

Mmm, nope.  I'm not saying she's wrong but our deductible is hit for this year and tests like that are months out, when the deductible will not be hit.  She said to be officially diagnosed with ADHD, it usually isn't covered by insurance and is $1500 out of pocket and the insurance companies that do, good luck finding a therapist that accepts that insurance.  She said there were websites and books out there written on the subject that we could delve into later and it honestly felt like she wasn't doing her job and telling me if I wanted to pursue that avenue, do it on my own.

She has way too much on her plate between her patients, her teaching career, her research and having a daughter going through severe health issues that make her have to "present to the world like she's holding it together."  I can assure you that anyone who isn't self obsessed can see you're not covering as well as you think you are.  I deserve someone's full attention, not just what they're able to give after life has kicked them in the ass all day.  You're not effective to me when I've spent the last 3 sessions thinking afterwards that I'm not getting what I need.  I cancelled our appointment I made with her for next week and I looked up an ADD specific one who also specializes in ACT therapy which was my preferred method anyway.  In my assessment questions, I told the new one that I may have the wrong idea of what I'm supposed to get out of therapy but I need someone who will strategize with me to help with the things that are affecting my quality of life right now.

Essentially, I'm not going to get the answers I thought I could get or not with that lady.  I thought the reason therapists took copious notes is because they looked it all over and when I ask 'why do I react that way?' they could point back to specific things and say 'this or that may be a coping mechanism from this event' etc.  Instead I feel like I've been paying to word barf to someone who feels like a friend, get validation that my dad was in fact an asshole and my MIL is a flaming narcissistic douche canoe.  That felt okay in the beginning but it doesn't anymore when I feel we should be well into the "toolbox" portion of therapy if there is such a thing.

Hopefully this next one will be able to help me and I see her Friday which I know is basically a write off session because I'm going to have to go through all of the medical history crap and no actual therapy will be had which is why I scheduled it the same week.  Regardless, I have 7000 self help books I can choose from and focus an hour a week and take notes and just friggin' tailor something to myself like I thought I was paying for.   I realize for someone with a focus issue it's almost laughable but I will have to take notes and be diligent if this one is no better.  I've got limited time so I don't have time to pussyfoot anymore.  (I said pussyfoot.)

For those who have had therapy, do I have the wrong idea?  Shouldn't I be getting homework or tools or something THREE months in??

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A Little Rocky, A Little Triumphant Weekend Recap

Top o' the final Monday of September to you!  I know everyone is yammering about how fast each month/season this year has passed but seriously, is it just me who feels like they blinked and we were out with horsies for my birthday and suddenly it's basically October???  

Twas not my best showing this weekend.  I desperately needed a bit of a break this weekend because my mental state has been in the pooper on the grief front the past few weeks.  The Mr said something about getting breakfast goodies in the morning the night before so I kind of had my sights set on that and maybe driving somewhere to see the state of the leaves.  He woke with wicked heartburn, which he rarely has and started getting a headache.  I got my panties in a snit because I felt like there were things he could've tried that were at the top of a internet search and could've relieved his pain much quicker.  My interpretation was it fell on me to make him better and I'm at a point where I don't want to make one more effing decision for anything ever again.  (Though a slew of them are waiting.)  So yeah, it wasn't fair but that put my mood straight into tantrum town especially when the things I told him to do seemed to bring quick relief on one front but then having to wait until 2pm for the rest of it to clear out just felt like 'welp, can't 'start' our day now so there goes the weekend I needed.'  Yes.  I know exactly how that sounds.  Not proud of it.  But I can lie if you like or leave that crap out but who does that serve?  No one.  We sat there at one point staring into space and I said "well, let's get to the newel post then, we should get something done.'  He started on that then I did my part on it

But then I needed to get out of the house like pronto.

We drove to get something to eat and my already sour mood turns to silent crying as we got closer to Mom's place.  (Well the place before her last place which will always be home as far as we're concerned.)  I couldn't take it.  I just wanted to go sit in the parking area, stare at her townhome and bawl but I took care of the bawling on my own as the Mr desperately tried everything to get us out of the engulfing traffic jam that comes with being in the area.  There is nothing on that side of town that, when in the wrong frame of mind, doesn't bring back everything we've lost.  Her home, my childhood, where she suffered, where she died, where she's buried.  All of it in a 3-4 mile radius that just hurts to be in some days and that was one of those days.  I did apologize to the Mr later a few times and he did say he was panicked realizing the ghost of what will never be just seemed to be all around us and he wanted to get the hell out of there.  I think much of it comes from several things.  1) I'm using work and reno to not think about it all.  2)  I can never show her what we did and she'll never see this 'new' home we've been putting together since the pandemic started.  3)  It's because of some of the money from her passing that we can even do the bathroom conversion and there is guilt and general ick associated with that.  I don't want her money, I want her.  So all of those things along with facing what used to be my favorite time of year without her and being past that initial shock of last year and that this truly is our reality has made for very bad mental weeks.  It was very hard to pull myself out of the inner turmoil I was feeling.  I wanted to cancel my therapy appointment and never go back.  I wanted to pack everything and move somewhere else.  I wanted to just burn it all down figuratively because there's nothing left here but everything I've lost.  When you don't have a mortgage, 'just moving' and gaining one 3x of what you had for the average house isn't feasible also the Mr's job basically has us geographically trapped because they're flaming jerks so we feel incredibly caged.  

Yep.  Good times.

Sunday we had a hodge podge breakfast and got to working on the newel post again a bit.  The Mr cut a piece of trim needed for the top of the stairs.  There's this part of me that wonders if we should just paint the stairs and get those treads I mentioned since we're spending more than intended but I don't know how to feel about that.  It'd be a lot of work and I really wanted everything done before the holidays but I doubt that's possible now.  I did order an undermount sink and faucet for the bathroom.  They can't template the countertop until it's installed again which unfortunately means we've got a month (minimum) before we can get that part scheduled and that was if we were SUPER on top of our game and the second the new shower is installed we miraculously got the paneling and floors installed too (not impossible to do over a weekend but still).  Then it's a month out from that before the counter would be in and ready to be installed.  Dangerously close to post Thanksgiving time.

Oh!  Did I mention about that "woodpecker" noise?  We thought it was the sump pump since Helene dumped a whopper on us and the noise went away for two days.  Welp, it is confirmed it is our just over a year old water heater.  The Mr caught it in action when he was down there after we already put in a work order for the sump pump.  (It needs replaced anyway, it's almost 30 years old and with all of the rain we're finally getting, it only flushed out twice and that thing runs non stop with similar rain amounts.)  So now we're awaiting a call back from the people who installed that/re-piped our house last year.  I love being a homeowner.  

We went up and moved the vanity back into the bathroom to get a measurement on where the junction box should go and thank God we didn't use our mirror as the center point because it would've been off a few.  

But he got it all patched up and ready for the drywall skimming by our shower guys.

I'm so proud of him!  Especially since we've always been terrified to do anything ourselves but sometimes we (he) can do stuff!  

I attempted to put wood pre-stain on the newel post but it laughed at me and said 'yeah, you're not getting to do this part the easy way either sister."  But I found a couple of spots that needed wood filler touch up so that was going to have to wait until today.  So I'll need to sand those spots to see if I need a little more.  If not, I'll have to tape off and prime everything then I have get to work at the other stuff.  I still have to scrape and paint the vanity which is going to be a little arduous with the countertop still on it.  My goal is not to have to a crap ton of touch ups but I'm hoping I can get it the best I can and then when we move it back in for them to template that we can score the caulk and then when it all comes off for the new one, we can take it off for them and have some control over the situation.  Those jackals come in like they don't care what they nick or destroy and mama will go off after all of this if they do something because they were careless.  So I ordered the undermount sink (we've had vessel for 15 years so time for a change) and a faucet so they'll have everything they need when the time comes to make a proper template.  So nerve wracking!  I ordered our wallpaper and I'm going to tell you right now that if you'd ever told me I'd be paying what I did for it, I would've laughed in your face.  Painted Paper is who it's through so I'll let you peruse that site to get an idea of the insanity.  (Not like I've ever had to price wallpaper so maybe that's normal but yeah, small anxiety attack ensued even with a 10% discount.)

Somewhere in there I need to get my shingles shot too and it took the Mr down for 2 days.  I'm thinking maybe Thursday because who wants to be down on the weekend??

What did you do this weekend?

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What I'm Reading This Week #39

Please hold...I must make a call:

source

Hello...universe?  I would like you to just stop yer nonsense please.  You know what you're doing.  Dat's enough.

source

Could we fast forward a month, please?  I'm not one for wishing time away or anything but I need a break.  The shower dude came out Tuesday and got our final measurements and we picked our stuff.  (A little unnerved we never saw like actual samples on some stuff other than little bebe swatches to be spending $11K but whatever.)  He was probably trying to hold back his laughter at my absolute crap attempt at skim coat.  We showed him where the vanity light is going and that we'd be adding a junction box and putting drywall pieces back in and he said they could skim coat that along with the chonk out by the medicine cabinet.  Sweet Jesus thank you!  When the Mr asked if we could have 20 minutes once they yank the tub to jam new insulation in there, he said if we've got it just remind them and they'll throw it in for us.  Score!  Then I had to give him $5600.  😑  That was where the good news ceased.  

We've had a "knocking" noise that we assumed was our SWAT neighbor for the past two months.  It essentially sounds like a hostage banging on a pipe so you know, that tracks where he's concerned.  The Mr said he thought it was something in our basement.  It never correlated with anything like when the water was running, A/C running or shutting off, etc.  It was coming from the triangle area of the water heater (a year old), the HVAC (replaced within the past 6 years I think) and sump pump.  We tried everything to eliminate the possibilities.  I suggested putting our travel cam on top of the hot water heater because if it vibrated, it would record that.  Well the Mr turned on sound in the middle of the night and caught it several times...it sounded like the HVAC.  Sigh.  So we had to get someone out here and hold onto our butts on what he said he thought it would cost.  Well, his 22 year old brain deduced we probably have a woodpecker.  I tried my hardest not to laugh in his face because even with a mask on, my face was loud.  Plus I flat out Peppermint Patty'd him "this isn't like that at all" which I've said twice after two people were supposed to be helping me and gave stupid or off base answers.  That'll be $100 for nothing please.  I guess at least there's nothing wrong with the HVAC but clearly we can't have that noise where the house is literally talking to you get out of hand.  I mean it seems slightly better since he was fidgeting down there so I do think it's something with that.

We got a rogue bill from our old insurance company we're appealing and I had to send a note letting them know it was being appealed, don't be turning it over to collections or anything.

My blood clot is gone but one of the veins isn't closing all the way so I'll need "touch up" done when they do the other leg and I made very sure that this wasn't going to push things back as we're already dealing with a very tight end of year timeline and she said it shouldn't  OH, I think this happened after Monday's post but before that appointment, I found a horrible 'ring' of new spider veins around where she injected me the last time.  I told her from the time before that a new spider vein appeared after she did that and asked if that was normal and she was like "it was probably already there before and you're just noticing it."  "No, I look at these legs every day when I'm in the bathroom because I don't bring my phone in with me so I KNOW it's new."  Gaslight much?  That was the warning sign she didn't take seriously and has resulted in this 'fireworks' affect happening because of my itsy bitsy veins and too much pressure being applied during sclero.  You know when they tell you they're going to do free cosmetic that they effed up.   

Throw on top of that the past two weeks have been a grief landmine and my therapy session was a big bawlfest.  I have come to the conclusion that I'm never going to get what I need out of therapy.  It's not what I naively thought it would be.  I will touch on a few more things with her, ask her for tools with my self diagnosed ADHD because the focus is out. of. control. and be done by December.  Someone telling me I'm human and using that as a default, which I've heard other people in therapy mention as well, just doesn't sit well with me.  No shit I'm human but the bottom line is, I will never get the answers I thought I needed and I'm going to have to be okay with that.  It's fine if I can glean some tidbits here and there but therapy isn't tailored to me in a way that's any different than books I've read as far as tools.  I've stopped doing the tapping because I do see a bit of a shift in my mindset but I honestly got bored with it.  It wasn't lifechanging enough to keep it up after 8 weeks and starting over with someone new is not happening.  Should we happen to meet our deductible next year, I may start over with someone else but until then, I will dedicate an hour a week just like therapy to read a CBT or ACT based book and do the work myself.  

Anyhoo!

Now let's slide into:  

How Many Steps a Day Benefits Your Health?  (Interesting where the benefits stop and it's under 10k)

'Tossing' Could Be A Potential Sign Of ADHD. Do You Do It?  (Yes I do... learned it from my mama!)

Coffee May Help Protect Your Muscles as You Age, Study Shows  (There ya go)

This Gross Decluttering “Poop Rule” Is Actually Super Brilliant  (It makes sense I guess! 😆)

What It's Like Being COVID-Conscious in 2024  (Well, it's certainly isolating when you don't have much of a choice from a health standpoint.  Don't forget to order your free Covid tests.  I know, I know...it's only a 'cold'.  Don't be a jag this holiday season for the sake of your peeps who still need to be careful/protected!)

A Third of Women Can't Identify This Common Symptom of Endometrial Cancer  (Please read!  My second mom passed from this and this was her symptom!)

New Password Hacking Warning For Gmail, Facebook And Amazon Users  (Pay attention.)

Is “Fridgescaping” Another Symptom of Our Increasingly Polarizing Times?  (Um, I'mma sound my age now...ahem...IS THIS EFFING REAL!?!??!!  Who da hell has room in their fridge for friggin' pictures and bouquets?!  Now give me some organizers and I'm on board!)

This Cozy Connecticut Farmhouse Ups the Ante on Countryside Living  (OMG...I want it all!  That kitchen!  The fireplace.  Swooooon)

What We Ate 100 Years Ago  (Wow, an interesting look back!)

Miss a post here?  Catch up below!

Flop Sweat Inducing Weekend Recap

Hump Day Poll:  Social Media Turnoffs

I do want to work on the newel post or something but I also think we need at least one of the days to just do whatever.  Finally going to be tolerable outside and I'd like to enjoy it if possible.

Whatchu into this weekend?

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Get posts sent straight to your inbox on Follow It. Some posts may contain affiliate links that help keep this blog running at no cost to you.  See the Disclaimer page for more info. All posts copyright Success Along the Weigh. All rights reserved.